Boot bag

ABSTRACT

A boot bag which includes a pair of mirror image halves pivotally connected at adjacent edges at the back side of the bag. Each half is shaped with a main upper body portion and a toe portion for receiving one boot of a pair of boots. Each half of the bag is lined with a soft resilient cushioning material, and support pads are provided on the bottom side of the bag. The bag is constructed of a relatively rigid material forming an external shell of each of the halves, and a manual locking device extends between and interconnects the two halves along the front side of the boot bag. A carrying handle is secured to the upper side of one of the halves of the bag.

ilnited States @atent 1 1 Craig [451 July 31, 1973 1 soor BAG [21] Appl. No.: 190,814

150/52 G; 190/13 F; 206/46 AP, 46 AM, 46 FC, 7 R, 7 G; 220/4 E, 9 F, 31 S; 224/45 S; 211/37, 38; 280/1137 R, 11.37 K; D87/1 R,

5 R-S H [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,641,697 2/1972 Heidtman et a1. 206/46 FC UX D202,403 9/1965 Craig D87/1 R 3,399,750 9/1968 Woolworth.... 224/45 S X 1,231,915 7/1917 Lamb 150/52 G 3,117,609 1/1964 Pio 150/52 G Primary ExaminerSamuel B. Rothberg Assistant ExaminerSteven E. Lipman A i t b rfiy -Jerry .I. Dunlap, William R. Laney et a1.

[ 57] ABSTRACT A boot bag which includes a pair of mirror image halves pivotally connected at adjacent edges at the back side of the bag. Each half is shaped with a main upper body portion and a toe portion for receiving one boot of a pair of boots. Each half of the bag is lined with a soft resilient cushioning material, and support pads are provided on the bottom side of the bag. The bag is constructed of a relatively rigid material forming an external shell of each of the halves, and a manual locking device extends between and interconnects the two halves along the front side of the boot bag. A carrying handle is secured to the upper side of one of the halves of the bag.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OI THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention This invention relates to containers for articles of apparel, and more particularly, to a boot bag for containing and transporting boots.

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art In my United States design US. Pat. No. 202,403, I disclose a boot bag which is constructed of a soft flexible material and provides an opening at one side thereof for the purpose of placing a pair of boots inside the bag to permit them to be protected from dust, scuffing and the like, and to be transported from one location to the other. The bag is particularly useful for half Wellington or cowboy type boots, and is widely used by performers in rodeos, equestrian shows and simply by persons who enjoy the western style of dress.

Although the boot bag depicted in my design patent has functioned well in usage, the soft flexible and collapsible material of which the bag is constructed, and the manner in which the boots are placed therein has afforded disadvantages on some occasions. For example, where the bag has been shipped as luggage, the collapsibility of the material of which it is constructed has permitted the boots located therein to be distorted or bent when the bag is placed under other luggage or forced into a confined space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention comprises an improved boot bag which is of sufficient rigidity to retain its configuration against the distorting force of external pressure, and which is more easily used and more durable than boot bags heretofore constructed. Broadly described, the boot bag of the invention comprises a pair of similarlyshaped halves which are pivotally interconnected, and which each include a rigid outer shell and a lining of a cushioning material within the shell. A handle is pivotally secured to the top of one of the halves, and each half has an open side extending parallel to a side wall. The open side of each half is surrounded by a rigid meeting strip, and the meeting strips interengage to close the bag in one position to which the two halves are pivoted. The two halves may be pivoted from this position to a fully opened position in which the side walls thereof extend in substantially coplanar relation to each other.

An object of the invention is to provide a bag for storing and carrying calf length boots in a way such that the boots are protected and are not distorted in their shape.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hoot bag into which a pair of boots may be quickly placed without contacting'any portion of the bag other than a soft flexible protective material forming a portion of the bag.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a boot bag which retains the boots carried therein in a position in which they do not rub against each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boot bag having a handle pivotally. secured thereon in a position such that the bag is balanced during carrying.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a boot bag which may be partially opened and stood upright with a pair of boots therein for display purposes in sales of the boot bag Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the following detailed description of a preferred em' bodiment of the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view ofa boot bag constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation of the boot bag in its opened status, and showing, in dashed lines, a pair of boots positioned therein.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRITPION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The boot bag of the invention comprises a pair of mirror image halves l0 and 12. Each half of the boot bag includes an external casing 14 constructed of a relatively rigid material which can withstand compressive forces of substantial magnitude. Each external casing 14 includes an upper portion and a toe portion 16 formed at the lower end of the upper portion and projecting forwardly therefrom. Each of the casings 14 includes a side panel 14a, a forward panel 14b, a top panel 14c, a back panel 14d and a bottom panel 14c. Each of the halves 10 and 12 of the boot bag are open at the side opposite the side panel thereof, and along this open side of the respective boot bag halves, a metal meeting strip 20 is secured. The metal meeting strip 20 on the boot bag half 10 is formed with a flange to meet with and engage a groove formed in the meeting strip 20 on the boot bag half 12 when the bag is closed in the manner shown in FIG. 1.

A pair of hinges 22 and 24 interconnect the boot bag halves l0 and 12 at the back panels 14d thereof with the hinges spanning across the meeting strips 20 as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The hinges 22 and 24 facilitate the opening of the boot bag from the closed position shown in FIG. 1 to the open position shown in FIG. 2 in which the side panels 14a of each boot bag half occupy a common plane. This permits the boots to be quickly and easily placed in the bag.

Secured to the meeting strip 20'where it cross the top panel 14c of the boot bag half 10 is a handle 26. The handle 26 can be pivoted from an upstanding position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to a position in which it rests flatly on the top panel 14c. At the forward side of the boot bag, a suitably manually operable latch 30 is secured to one of the boot bag halves l2 and engages a stop 32 provided on the other boot bag half 10.

Each of the boot bag halves I0 and I2 is lined with a flexible, resilient material 36 such as foam rubber, styrofoam, a suitable foam polyurethane or the like. This material 36 provides cushioning for a pair of boots 38 positioned in the boot bag so that the boots are protected when stored and carried in the boot bag. In the toe portion 16 of the two halves 10 and 12, the material 36 is dimensioned so that it lightly engages the toes of the boots to prevent the boots from shifting around and rubbing against each other.

Secured to the bottom panel Me of each of the halves l0 and 12 are a pair of aligned supporting tabs or pads 40 and 42. When the boot bag halves l0 and 12 are closed in the manner shown in FIG. I, the supporting tabs 40 and 42 provide a four point support for the boot bag. Also the bag halves l and 12 may be opened apart at an angle of 90 and stood upright on the tabs 40 for display purposes during selling of the bags.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein shown, and certain preferred materials of construction of the boot bag have been described, it is to be understood that various changes and innovations in the described structure and materials can be effected without departure from the basic principles which underly the invention. Changes and innovations of this type are therefore deemed to be circumscribed by the spirit and scope of the invention, except as the same may be necessariy limited by the appended claims or reasonable equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A boot bag comprising:

a pair of pivotally interconnected mirror image boot bag halves, each of said halves having an upper portion and a toe portion formed at the lower end of said upper portion and projecting therefrom, each of said halves comprising:

a rigid outer shell including:

a side panel;

a front panel;

a top panel;

a back panel; and a bottom panel;

said outer shell having an open side opposite said side panel;

a flexible, resilient cushioning material lining the interior of said outer shell and secured to all of said panels, said flexible resilient cushioning material inside each of said toe portions being dimensioned to grip the toe of a boot placed therein and retain said boot against movement;

a meeting strip secured to the edges of said front, back, top and bottom panels defining said open side, the meeting strips on each of said boot bag halves interengaging each other when said boot bag is closed;

a handle pivotally secured to one of said meeting strips in a central location along an edge of said top panels and pivotable between an upstanding position and a folded down position adjacent said top panel;

a plurality of spaced hinges pivotally interconnecting said boot bag halves by securcment to the back panels thereof for allowing opening of said boot bag to a position in which said side panels are in substantially coplanar alignment, said hinges each extending across each of said meeting strips;

manually operable latch means secured to said front panels for retaining said boot bag closed with said meeting strips interengaged and said side panels extending substantially parallel to each other; and

a pair of supporting tabs on each of said bottom panels and positioned relative to said hinges and relative to each other for supporting said boot bag halves in an upright position when said boot bag havles are pivoted to a position in which said'boot bag is open whereby said supporting tabs may support said boot bag in an upright and open position so that said boots and boot bag may be displayed for visual observation. 

1. A boot bag comprising: a pair of pivotally interconnected mirror image boot bag halves, each of said halves having an upper portion and a toe portion formed at the lower end of said upper portion and projecting therefrom, each of said halves comprising: a rigid outer shell including: a side panel; a front panel; a top panel; a back panel; and a bottom panel; said outer shell having an open side opposite said side panel; a flexible, resilient cushioning material lining the interior of said outer shell and secured to all of said panels, said flexible resilient cushioning material inside each of said toe portions being dimensioned to grip the toe of a boot placed therein and retain said boot against movement; a meeting strip secured to the edges of said front, back, top and bottom panels defining said open side, the meeting strips on each of said boot bag halves interengaging each other when said boot bag is closed; a handle pivotally secured to one of said meeting strips in a central location along an edge of said top panels and pivotable between an upstanding position and a folded down position adjacent said top panel; a plurality of spaced hinges pivotally inter-connecting said boot bag halves by securement to the back panels thereof for allowing opening of said boot bag to a position in which said side panels are in substantially coplanar alignment, said hinges each extending across each of said meeting strips; manually operable latch means secured to said front panels for retaining said boot bag closed with said meeting strips interengaged and said side panels extending substantially parallel to each other; and a pair of supporting tabs on each of said bottom panels and positioned relative to said hinges and relative to each other for supporting said boot bag halves in an upright position when said boot bag havles are pivoted to a position in which said boot bag is open whereby said supporting tabs may support said boot bag in an upright and open position so that said boots and boot bag may be displayed for visual observation. 